Ian Grigor

1. Research Approaches 1: Qualitative Research Ian Grigor

2. Aims of session To describe and begin to discuss:- • Research Approaches and Definitions • Qualitative Research and… • Its characteristics • Suitable questions • Methods • Strengths • Limitations • Examples

3. What is research? ‘An attempt to increase the sum of what is known, usually referred to as a body of knowledge, by the discovery of new facts or relationships through a process of systematic scientific enquiry, the research process’ (Hockey 1996) Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods research are based upon systematic and scientific enquiry

4. Why research in healthcare? • To provide an evidence-based rationale for actions/care • To provide healthcare workers with an increasing number of evidence-based care/intervention options • To increase our understanding of the concerns of service users • To stimulate further critical enquiry into effective healthcare • To provide clinically effective and cost-effective care

5. The research continuum… Different questions require different approaches. Qualitative implies… Quantitative implies… …but what if they overlap?

6. Qualitative Research: Some characteristics • Based on a view that, to understand the (social) world, we need to • Study people in natural settings- look at their everyday lives • Study the ways in which people understand and give meaning to the social world they live and work in • Focus not only on identification and explanations of facts BUT on understanding how people interpret those facts • e.g. We may know that 11% of children under 12 provide care for a disabled parent (facts). We may want to know how some of those children make sense of their experience as a carer (interpretations)

7. Some examples of issues related to qualitative research … • Its origins… • Philosophy • Anthropology • Sociology • Key points of focus… • Understanding the nature of social reality • How do people perceive and interpret the world? • Why do people interact with each other in the way they do? • What is culture and how are we influenced by our culture?

8. Qualitative research related to MMR… Answers to questions such as: • How did the concern over possible links between MMR and autism affect parents whose child was called for MMR vaccine? • What sources of information and advice might parents have sought and considered before deciding whether to let their child have the MMR vaccine? • What challenges did primary healthcare professionals face in working with parents who were concerned about the MMR vaccine?

9. How might qualitative researchers address these questions? Possibly: • Focus groups of parents and healthcare professionals • Interviews with parents and healthcare professionals • Non-participant observation of immunisation clinic consultations (could include audio and video recording. Any ethical issues for consideration here?) • Documentary analysis (this can be textual or discourse analysis) e.g. of newspaper reports, TV and radio reports, examination of online sources, information leaflets, policies, especially in their development etc • A mixture of all of these sources of data

10. Methods of data collection in qualitative research • Interview • Observation/Fieldwork (participant to non- participant) • Documentary analysis (personal diaries to formal records) • Personal narratives or stories/life histories • Film or photography • Almost all involve the researcher entering into the ‘natural or real world setting, seeking the insider’s viewpoint’ • Most involve more than simple description • Description, explanation and theory come from the ‘field’ (not imposed on it)

11. Analysis of qualitative data will involve Constantly revisiting the data to look for common codes, themes & trends and comparing or adjusting these in the light of new evidence

12. Strengths of qualitative research • Making a contribution to knowledge in areas where little is currently known • Providing, depth and detailed understanding • Giving voice to people’s concerns and experiences that traditional scientific research may not capture • Focusing on people in social contexts not simply disease-intervention-outcome

13. Some limitations of qualitative research • Specific focus and sometimes small sample size usually mean that findings are not easily transferable to other people and settings i.e. not generalisable • The data gathered are almost always interpreted by the researcher prior to its presentation to others. Some may claim this interpretation could be flawed by being subjective • Concerns therefore with validity of findings - (but options to address this) • The skills needed to plan, gather and analyse data in this tradition are not always fully addressed

14. Reading for you… • Greenhalgh & Taylor (1997) How to read a paper: papers that go beyond numbers. British Medical Journal 315:740-743. • This is a paper from the “How to read a paper” series/book from the British Medical Journal. It is available as part of an online book (viahttp://www.bmj.com/publications) . The whole paper/book is of value although you can skip over the sections which detail the process for reviewing specific sections of a research paper. • Hek G, Judd M and Moule P (2002)  Making sense of research: an introduction for health and social care practitioners (2nd edition) London: Continuum. Chapter 5 is particularly relevant to this session and to next week’s • Trochim WMK (2006) Qualitative Measures. Available at http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/qual.htm • There is also an online journal “Qualitative Research”, Sage Publications, which you can access via the University library

15. Aims of session To describe and begin to discuss • Research Approaches and Definitions • Qualitative Research • Characteristics • Suitable Questions • Methods • Strengths • Weaknesses • Examples